Another Identity
by SnowCrystal
Summary: Framed for a crime she didn't commit, Xiaoyu goes on the run... by disguising herself as a boy. Xiaojin
1. Assassination

I got kinda inspired by a Chinese drama and Mulan by the boy idea. Hope this is okay, since this is my first romance fic. Also, this is set in ancient China.

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Chapter 1: Assassination

She stood silently in the shadows, quickly adjusting the guard's robes to fit her. She grabbed a piece of cloth to make sure the only part of her that was visible was her eyes and she crept on ahead towards the king's room.

Quietly, she slid open the doors and slipped through them. The king of Japan, Heihachi Mishima, was facing a mirror, his back towards her.

Seizing this chance, she crept up and grabbed Heihachi by the neck and pressed a dagger to it.

"This is what you get for killing my family!" she hissed, pressing it harder. But Heihachi just smirked.

"Is this the best attempt you've got? Pathetic," he said, carefully studying her in the mirror. Suddenly, he punched her squarely in the face, causing her to stumble backwards.

"Damn!" she murmured, accidentally slashing herself in her haste to get up.

"Guards!" Heihachi shouted. "Seize her!"

Immediately, guards came rushing in through the only entrance. Cursing to herself, she raised her hand and thrust a smoke ball at the ground, causing billows of smoke to escape from it. The room was enveloped in smoke and when it cleared, there was a gaping hole where the window used to be.

"Search the grounds," Heihachi commanded. The guards quickly exited the room. Even though Heihachi knew who tried to kill him, he still had no evidence to arrest her. But that one scar on her left arm caused by her weapon could be all the evidence he needed.

* * *

Ling Xiaoyu counted her money once again. Still, she had to make a living by selling fruit. She couldn't really afford much. Her robes were tattered and simple ribbons held up her hair. Only wealthy women wore hairpins and fancy hairdos. She had once bought a beautiful butterfly hairpin that had cost her two months of her savings. She showed it off to her father, but he was infuriated that she was spending her money on worthless ornaments.

"At least… I can buy some new cloth but who am I kidding? It'll get ruined again whenever I pick fruit, stupid thorns!" Xiaoyu mumbled, crouching below her stall to check for any dropped change. "None."

"What are you doing? I want my change!" the woman that had bought some apples demanded.

"Here," Xiaoyu said gruffly, shoving a few coins into her outstretched palm.

"What appalling behavior," the woman mumbled to her friend, as she walked away.

"You… Hey! Put that back! Do you know how hard it was to grow sweetcorn?" Xiaoyu barked to a little boy.

"Sheesh!" he said, running away.

"This job is driving me crazy…" Xiaoyu mumbled, clutching her pouch tightly.

"Excuse me," a man said.

"Yeah?" Xiaoyu said, turning to him. He was wearing a traveling cloak, a hood covering his face in shadows, but Xiaoyu could tell his hair was in spikes because his hood was slightly lifted. Must be a traveler, she thought.

"Can I give you this?" he asked, showing Xiaoyu a bag of money. Immediately, her eyes lit up, but then she quickly dismissed it away.

"Why are you giving me this?" Xiaoyu asked.

"I don't want it and I don't need it," he answered.

"Why? Don't you know that it's a tough world? I think you should keep it," she said, smiling.

"Weren't you just complaining about money?" he asked, also smiling.

"Yeah… but… father will ask me where I got it from," she said sadly. "Keep it."

"I insi-"

"Look, if you don't want it, give to me fair and square, buy something."

"I have plenty."

"Why are you traveling, then?"

"I'm not traveling."

"Huh?"

"I got to go," he said.

"What?" Xiaoyu said, watching him go as some guards from the castle came by. "Must be afraid of them… but then again, who isn't?"

"Have you seen anyone suspicious, lately?" one of the guards asked.

"Yeah, he just went by," Xiaoyu said, pointing with her left arm towards where the man went to. "He was giving out money."

"Wait a minute," the other guard whispered to the first. "Doesn't the assassin have a cut on her left arm?"

"Yeah, she does!" the guard said, drawing his sword.

"What the?" Xiaoyu said, bewildered. "I… I didn't do anything! I grew these crops fair and square!"

A crowd quickly noticed the commotion and a large circle grew around them. There was no escape for Xiaoyu. The guards advanced towards her.

"Whatever I did… tell me first!" Xiaoyu demanded.

"You tried to kill the king of Japan, didn't you?"

"What? I've never been near the king's palace," Xiaoyu said, looking surprised. "Let alone know where to go."

"Don't lie!"

Suddenly, the first guard dropped to his knees. Behind him was the man from before.

"What are you doing?" the other shouted, grabbing his sword. The man swiftly kicked him and the other guard dropped down.

"Quick, follow me!" he said, running away and pushing his way through the crowd. Xiaoyu obediently ran after him. Unfortunately, the only exercise she had done was climb trees, so she had to keep following the swish of his cloak. Luckily, the people walking around had stepped out of the way, staring at them run past.

"Wait!" Xiaoyu shouted, clutching a stitch on her side. The man suddenly turned into an alleyway, in which she followed. Fortunately, it was a dead end and he had stopped. Xiaoyu skidded to a stop in front of him, and bent over and panted.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I should be…" Xiaoyu said, clutching onto the wall. "Why would they say I'm an assassin? I'm just an ordinary fruit seller."

"Grandpa said he saw the assassin had cut herself on her left arm," he said, letting Xiaoyu lean on him.

"This?" Xiaoyu said, pointing to her cut. "I scratched myself when this cart rushed past me today. Thanks, anyway."

"It's okay, my grandpa's always targeted by assassins. The Mishimas aren't really popular."

"Grandpa?" Xiaoyu repeated, looking at him. She could tell he was panicking.

"I think you should go, the guards are quite dense, they won't believe you even if you say you are innocent," he said quickly.

"But if I'm innocent, I shouldn't be running!"

"With such a large crowd witnessing you fleeing, the odds are against you."

"Well… what would mother say?"

"It'd be best if your family weren't involved. I think you should go back home, grab some possessions and leave town."

"If they suspect me, the stupid King would still arrest them," Xiaoyu said, getting angrier.

"Is he that stern?" he asked, tilting his head to the side, showing his face a bit more. Xiaoyu saw he was handsome and stray strands of hair covered his face.

"You're Japanese?" Xiaoyu asked.

"Yes," he said. "What are you staring at?" He added, looking round.

"…What's your name?" she asked. She saw he was taken by surprise.

"Jin," he answered simply, lowering his hood.

"I'm Ling Xiaoyu. Nice to meet you and thank you!" she said.

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A/N: Was that okay, do you think? Also, the assassin won't be introduced until a few chapters later, but you might have a vague idea. Thanks for reading! 


	2. Disguise

**AngelKougaeri**: I usually keep the story moving by speech, so I'm not the best at descriptions, heh.

**xjmaster **and** Tekkengeek01**: Heh, I guess it would be natural to suspect Nina to be the assassin… I was actually going to use her, but then again, she'd be happy to get rid of her family, but then again, she'd just be paid. I used someone else, since it'll be harder to suspect, but I won't reveal who she is until the last chapter. But Xiaoyu will find a few clues.

**Thee Slushee**: Thanks!

**sasukerocks**: Other stories? Thanks for the review!

Disclaimer: Don't own.

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Chapter 2: Disguise

After their conservation, Xiaoyu had immediately ran off to her house while Jin promised he would meet her at the edge of town. She hurried as fast as she could, in case any guards had spotted her.

"Hi, mama! Bye, mama!" she said quickly, rushing up the stairs.

"Xiaoyu?" her mother said.

Xiaoyu slowed down to a fast walk and went to her room. Quickly, she grabbed a piece of cloth and gathered some clothes and ribbons. She placed her clothes into the middle of her cloth. She tied the cloth into a makeshift bag and hoisted it over her shoulder. Promptly, she grabbed a piece of parchment and wrote an apology onto it.

"'Dear papa and mama, sorry I have to go, please don't look for me, I'll be okay, Xiaoyu.' Okay, that's good enough, better go," she said, leaving the note on her bed and jumping out the window. Landing on her feet, she ran over to where they kept her beloved pet, Panda.

"I'm sorry, Panda but I have to go. Please take care of my parents," Xiaoyu said quickly, stroking Panda's fur. As she ran off, Panda whined after her.

Xiaoyu finally reached her destination. Breathing heavily, she raised her hand to block the oncoming sun, and looked around for any sign of Jin.

"Where are you?" Xiaoyu muttered in Chinese. She even tried to shout it out loud (which caused people to stare at her) when she suddenly remembered Jin was Japanese and couldn't understand a word of her Chinese tongue. The trouble was she had never even heard of Japan - until the king of Japan decided to visit China for some business about the prince marrying the princess of China - let alone speak Japanese. She decided to go when she heard someone call out her name.

"Xiaoyu!" Jin shouted. Xiaoyu turned around to see Jin, hood down, racing towards her. Many female heads turned, possibly thinking why someone as handsome as Jin was be so happy with a mere merchant girl.

"Jin?" Xiaoyu said, stopping so he could reach her. When he stopped, girls seemed to be trying to catch his attention. Xiaoyu dismissed this, thinking it was just that they wanted to see a good-looking boy.

"I'm sorry about that," Jin said, scratching the back of his head as if he was embarrassed. "I saw some guards and had to lay low for a while."

"Doesn't matter," Xiaoyu said, proceeding to walk off. "Okay, off we go!"

Xiaoyu punched the air and continued walking, her back towards Jin. Because of this, she couldn't see the happiness of his face.

They had walked quite a distance now, Xiaoyu in front, happily marching along as if this was a simple visit to a relative's. Jin was walking behind Xiaoyu, never had he seen such an energetic girl.

Soon, Xiaoyu started to quietly sing in a language Jin couldn't understand.

"What are you singing about?" Jin asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Just a song I made up," Xiaoyu said, turning away to stop him seeing her blush.

"It's nice," Jin complemented.

"Thanks!" Xiaoyu replied cheerfully, quickly changing her pace to a slow jog. "I think we're nearing the river. Maybe we can get some water!"

"Wait, Xiaoyu!" Jin shouted after her.

"Yeah?" Xiaoyu asked, stopping and turning around on the spot. Jin couldn't help but notice she looked really beautiful in the setting sun. Quickly shaking his head, he walked up to Xiaoyu.

"How about we camp there?" Jin asked, walking a bit closer to her.

"C-camp?" Xiaoyu said nervously. Jin just thought she was embarrassed to be sharing a tent with a boy, when she said, "I didn't think we needed a tent. And besides…"

"You haven't got one?" Jin finished her sentence for her.

"…Yeah," Xiaoyu said.

"I've got one," Jin said, pointing to his bag. "Though… I only have… one bed… I didn't intend to have someone accompanying me."

"I'm sorry," Xiaoyu said, looking upset. "I'll guess I'll travel by myself, if I'm a burden."

"No, no!" Jin said quickly. "You're not a burden!"

"Really?" Xiaoyu asked, pouting. Jin instantly laughed. "What's so funny?"

"You look so cute pouting," Jin said, mentally hitting himself for saying it out loud.

"I know!" Xiaoyu said, smiling. Jin breathed a sign of relief, she hadn't taken it like he was expecting.

"Should we set up camp then?" Jin asked.

"Yeah, it's just a short walk from here," Xiaoyu said, pointing to what appeared to be a tree.

"All the way over there?" Jin asked.

"Yeah, I know it's tough carrying buckets all the way over and back, but it's our village's source of water," Xiaoyu said, already quite a distance there.

They continued walking without speaking to each other. Once there, Xiaoyu decided to sit down underneath the tree, while Jin got his equipment out.

"Aren't you going to help?" Jin asked mockingly.

"I'm sure as a male, you can handle it," Xiaoyu smiled, leaning back. Jin took a moment to stare at her; he had really never met anyone like her. He was really glad he had run away from home. Sighing, he took out a tent and decided to set it up.

He was almost done with the tent when he looked up and saw Xiaoyu besides a large pot and trying to set up a fire. He smiled as he saw the Chinese rub two twigs together, looking frustrated.

"Damn sticks…" he heard her mutter.

"Need any help?" Jin asked.

Xiaoyu almost jumped up in surprise when she heard him talk. "Wha?" she said, looking around. Suddenly, she remembered she wasn't alone. "Oh, no thanks."

Jin continued to do the tent while Xiaoyu yelped as she saw sparks. He chuckled to himself.

"Ah! Almost had it…" Xiaoyu shouted.

When the tent was finished, both Jin and Xiaoyu ate. They had so far eaten in silence, until Xiaoyu suddenly spoke.

"So… how's it like in Japan?" Xiaoyu asked.

"It's okay," Jin replied.

"How okay is it?" she asked.

"Huh?" Jin said, looking up. "Well… How come you want to know?

"I want to know what Japan is like! I mean I've never been outside the village except to get water. I've never even heard of Japan. My village was always small, but since it's such a short distance from the emperor's place, travelers going to the palace always stop by. That's the usual way we get information of any other place," Xiaoyu said, twirling her spoon in her bowl.

"I see," Jin said. But then he suddenly realized something. "A lot of travelers come here?"

"Yeah…" Xiaoyu said, not thinking.

"But that would mean, once the word has spread that you are the supposed assassin, won't travelers instantly know who you are? Since they think you're an assassin, there'll be a big bounty on your head."

Xiaoyu choked on her food. "What?" she spluttered.

"The assassin came in by disguising as a guard, right?" Jin said. Xiaoyu didn't know, so she shrugged. However, Jin continued. "You're going to have to disguise yourself."

"With what?" Xiaoyu said, confused. "We don't have guards' clothes. And the only clothes I have are female- Wait a minute! Jin, have you got any spare clothes?"

"Yes I do… but what will that do?" Jin asked, this time it was he that was the confused one.

"Give me some," Xiaoyu said quickly, eager to put her plan in action. "…Please," she added.

"Sure," Jin said, rummaging in his bag and pulling out a tunic and some trousers. "

"Here you go."

Xiaoyu caught them easily and then paused.

"What's wrong?" Jin asked, oblivious. "Are they the wrong size?"

"Yes… but that doesn't matter…" Xiaoyu said slowly.

"What does?"

"Turn around, idiot!" Xiaoyu shouted, unable to contain herself.

"Oh!" Jin said quickly, turning round.

"Got any extra cloth?" she asked.

"Ye… Yeah," Jin said, passing her some, doing his best not to look.

It took a while until Xiaoyu said he could turn back round. Xiaoyu was admiring herself by turning around and looking down. The tunic was a little loose and the pants were rolled up. Xiaoyu still had her hair up though and then Jin saw something he couldn't help but notice.

"Your… your… your chest…" Jin said slowly, blushing.

"I, er, used some cloth and tied it tightly. I mean, boys are flat-chested, right?" Xiaoyu said, letting her hair down. "Should I keep my hair like this?"

If she was still dressed a girl, Jin would have said yes, but he thought otherwise. "No, don't think so, maybe tie your hair into a topknot. Your hair's not long enough to do a plait though."

"Okay," Xiaoyu said, tying her hair. "That okay?"

"Yeah… but…" Jin said.

"…I'm flat-chested and I'm wearing a male hairstyle, what else?" Xiaoyu asked, trying to sit down. "…Ow… stupid cloth."

"Are you okay?"

"Don't worry, it's just it's kind of hard to breathe," Xiaoyu said, smiling.

"This will all be over, when we find the assassin," Jin said sadly.

"What's wrong? You sound sad," Xiaoyu said, shifting to sit cross-legged.

"Nothing," Jin said quickly.

"So, what's wrong with me?" Xiaoyu said.

"You still look feminine," Jin answered, glad the subject had changed.

"I can't change the way I look, but they'll still think I'm a boy, right? I mean not many girls are flat," Xiaoyu said.

"I guess you're right," Jin said.

"Hey… Jin…" Xiaoyu said.

"Yes?"

"Can you-"

"What?" Jin said, blushing.

"Can you teach me Japanese?" Xiaoyu asked happily.

"Oh," Jin said sadly. "Yeah, sure."

"Thanks, Jin!" Xiaoyu said, hugging him.

When Xiaoyu let go, which was quickly, she added, "You've helped me so much, you know. I'd probably be dead, if you didn't help me."

"Do you want me to teach you how to fight, as well?" Jin asked.

"No, I already know how to," Xiaoyu said. "I mean you didn't think I'd go out on my own without any defense?"

"How come, you didn't fight off those guards?"

"Hey!" Xiaoyu said angrily. "I was surprised and I was trying to figure out why they were after me. And this is all because of a stupid cart… Couldn't they see my cut isn't from a blade?"

"Because they just weren't informed properly… Baka…" Jin muttered.

"Baka… baka… what does that mean?" Xiaoyu asked.

"Idiot," Jin said.

"What? I'm not an idiot!" Xiaoyu shouted, puffing out her cheeks.

Jin laughed. "No, I mean baka means idiot."

"Oh. Who are you calling a baka?" she asked.

"My grandpa. He doesn't care who he kills, he thinks it's all fun," Jin said darkly.

Xiaoyu stayed silent for a while, hugging her knees. She then spoke, "Jin, will you promise you'll always be there to protect me?"

"Yeah, I guess," Jin said, after a short pause. Xiaoyu approached Jin, causing him to look up.

"Say it then," Xiaoyu said, smiling.

"Actually…" Jin said, also smiling. He held his little finger up to a confused Xiaoyu.

"What's wrong, Jin?" Xiaoyu asked, tilting her head.

"It's a tradition in Japan when we make promises," Jin said. "We hook fingers."

"Ok…" she said uncertainly, extending her little finger. When they joined fingers, Jin started something like a song.

"What?" Xiaoyu said.

"Heh," Jin said. "I haven't done that before. I've just seen my friends do it. Well, now I can't lie."

"How come?"

"Because the liar will have to shallow a thousand needles."

Xiaoyu immediately clapped her hands to her mouth. Jin just laughed. He had never seen a girl like her.

* * *

A/N: Just over 6 pages! I really enjoy writing this! Oh and Xiaoyu's oblivious to how Jin feels for her, since she's used to guys hitting on her while she was selling fruit, but she'll slowly realize it soon :) 


	3. Thief

I think I'm doing well for a romance fic! I'm so used to writing Tales of Fanfiction I thought I was only able to write humor.

Thanks to **Shi no Hana**, **xjmaster**,**Thee Slushee**, **Tekkengeek01** and **minte** for the reviews!

**Tekkengeek01**: I'm not really sure. I wouldn't really know where to put them.

Disclaimer: Don't own.

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Chapter 3: Thief

Jin woke up late next morning… only to discover Xiaoyu was missing. He looked round and got up.

"Xiaoyu?" he called. Deciding to get out, he donned his traveling cloak. The bright sunlight stung his eyes so he lifted his arm to shield himself. He could see Xiaoyu next to the river and she seemed to be putting on her boy disguise.

Walking over, he could see clearly that she was tying a ribbon round her waist.

"What's wrong?" Jin asked, sitting down next to her.

Xiaoyu seemed surprised, because she blinked twice before realizing it was Jin. "Oh, didn't know you were awake," she said, turning her attention back to her ribbon.

"When did you wake up?" Jin asked.

"Quite early, I'm used to it," Xiaoyu said.

"What's wrong with the tunic?"

"It's just a bit big for me, I thought if I tied a ribbon, it wouldn't be so loose," Xiaoyu said, standing up. "It's better, isn't it?" (A/N: Just imagine it kind of like Xiaoyu's outfit in Tekken 3)

"Yeah, I guess," Jin said, looking at her. "What were you doing before?"

"Bathing… Why? Were you spying on me?" Xiaoyu asked, narrowing her eyes.

"No!" Jin answered quickly, blushing.

"I think we should set off soon, I really want to clear my name, come on! The sooner I can stop wearing man's clothes, the better!" she said, walking off.

"You're too impatient…" he sighed.

They had just started packing up, when a large group of guards approached them. Hastily, Jin shoved his hood back on.

"May I help you?" Xiaoyu asked.

"Have you seen this girl?" one of the guards asked, holding up a poster. The poster seemed to be an exact portrait of Xiaoyu, except she seemed to look more grown-up than she was.

"They have posters already?" Xiaoyu said in disbelief. "And ones that don't look like me?"

"You?" the guard repeated.

"I-I-I mean my friend?" she said quickly.

"You know this girl?"

"Yeah! She went that way," Xiaoyu said, pointing towards the forest quite a distance away.

"You will be awarded when we find her," the guard said. He then walked away with the others. When Jin saw that their backs were turned, he instantly slipped off his hood.

"Phew! I thought they'd never go away!" Jin said.

"It wasn't that long! Come on-" Xiaoyu started but then was interrupted by a yell. The same group had come running back to them. Jin quickly thrust his hood up, but the guards had seen his face. The guards quickly surrounded the two and Xiaoyu prepared to strike. Sure, she was outnumbered two to six but she didn't want to get thrown in jail without a fight. Plus, it would interest things. But to Xiaoyu's surprise, the guards had walked up to Jin and bowed.

"The king has been so worried about you-" a guard started to say, but Jin quickly intercepted him.

"I don't care about him! Now, go away!" Jin shouted. Xiaoyu was shocked. She had never seen him so angry, even if they had only traveled together for a day. But she knew that Jin wasn't the type to be angry. He was more of the gentle, quiet kind.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Xiaoyu asked. The guards reacted as if she had just arrived.

"I can't believe such a commoner like you would be-" another guard said but Jin yet again interrupted him.

"I'll come with you only if you don't talk," Jin said, already lowering his hood.

"What?" Xiaoyu asked, advancing a step towards the group. "Jin! I thought you said that you'd protect me! Don't you remember that weird little song? About a liar swallowing a thousand needles?"

"Why would he say something like that?" a guard protested.

"Be quiet!" Jin ordered, turning towards the guard. He instantly fell silent. Jin turned to Xiaoyu, and his face softened. "Don't worry, I'll come back."

"I-I'm sorry, sir, but the king said you can't leave the palace. You have to prepare for your wedding," a guard said.

"Your wedding?" Xiaoyu asked, clapping her hands together.

Jin seemed upset. "Yeah."

"To who?" Xiaoyu asked. The subject of weddings seemed to make Xiaoyu enthusiastic.

"N-no-one in particular," Jin continued, looking embarrassed.

"Can I come?" Xiaoyu said.

"Why would Jin Kazama invite someone like you?" one of the guards said.

"Because he's my friend," Xiaoyu said matter-of-factly. Some of the guards snorted with laughter. Xiaoyu was becoming more and more angry. Why were they treating Jin like some kind of prince? And if he was, why would he be stupid enough to run away from such luxury?

"Jin! If you are some kind of prince, why didn't you tell me?" Xiaoyu complained.

"I'm not a prince! And I don't want to be!" Jin shouted.

"Jin!" Xiaoyu called, rushing to him. However, the guards blocked her.

"Xiaoyu, I'm sorry but you'll have to go! I promise I find you again!" Jin said, throwing a smoke ball. The smoke covered Xiaoyu's vision and she tried to swat the smoke away.

"Jin! (Cough) Jin!" she called out, squinting her eyes to see through the thick smoke. The smoke soon cleared away and the guards and Jin had gone.

Xiaoyu quickly gathered her stuff. Why on earth would he act this way? She scrambled up the steep hill and started to run along the path.

"Jin! Where'd you go?" Xiaoyu shouted in exasperation. She skidded to a stop when she saw no sign at all of Jin or the guards. Just like that, he had gone. It was because of him that she had decided to run away. "Stupid!"

Deciding to do what she would have done with Jin, she went forward to the next town. It sure was lonely, though. Sure, Jin was quiet and shy around her, but she just thought that he was polite. She sighed as she sat alone at the table, eating her rice. Xiaoyu had previously bumped into a passing red head, which had left her quite annoyed. But as she sat there, she thought it was an unusual hair color. Everyone she knew had black hair, with occasional odd colors. With the introduction of boats, people had come sailing from around the world to deliver goods.

She proceeded to leave and called a man to take her money. She reached inside her bag… but she found nothing.

"What?" she mumbled, rummaging around to at least find a little money. "Where'd it all go? I had it this morning!"

The waiter became irritated. "Will you hurry up?"

Pouring the contents of her bag onto the table, she looked around. "Where is it? Where is my money pouch?" she said, scrambling through her female clothes.

A crowd started forming round, pointing at her and murmuring. "What kind of man carries women clothes?"

"Probably pretending, so he doesn't have to pay."

"Look! Is this some kind of joke?" the waiter demanded, shaking his open palm in her face.

"I don't know what happened!" Xiaoyu tried to explain. But then, she thought of the red head. She snapped her fingers, suddenly realizing and gathered her possessions. "Sir, I think I've been robbed. I promise I'll come back and pay later."

"I've had that story loads of times. Okay, guys!" he called. Three strong, muscular men came through the crowd.

Xiaoyu angrily turned to him. "I said I'd pay later!" she shouted. She hoisted her bag and proceeded to walk out, but the men barred her way.

"Pay up now!" the waiter said equally as angry as Xiaoyu was now.

"Let me go now! If I hurry, I can catch up to that red head!" she shouted.

The men cracked their knuckles. They looked so menacing, a normal person would faint. But Xiaoyu was extremely ticked off.

"Go away!" she shouted, dropping her bag and quickly kicking her leg upwards. The hit collided perfectly and he was blown back. The shocked crowd parted away, so the man toppled outside. The others were stunned, but they quickly shook it off. They advanced towards Xiaoyu.

"Who knew someone so scrawny would put up a fight!" one of them taunted. Xiaoyu glared at him and hit him with her Bayonet move. The man staggered backwards from the blows and tried to get back up. But Xiaoyu was quicker, and swept the floor with her leg. The man toppled onto the floor, dazed. Xiaoyu turned to the other man, who immediately cowered away.

"Well, that's that!" Xiaoyu said happily, picking up her sack and running off. The shocked crowd stared after her retreating form.

Xiaoyu darted through the streets, pausing once in a while to take a breather. She brightened up when she saw a red headed man walking around eating a bun. She tapped him on the shoulder and he turned around.

"Hi?" he said, looking at her.

"Hi! Did you happen to see a red headed man with a pink money pouch?" Xiaoyu asked, with a false cheeriness in her voice. The man swallowed the last of his bun.

"Follow me," he said, and he started to run.

"He has some nerve," Xiaoyu said quietly. She followed him and saw that he seemed to be speeding up. She also fastened her pace and so did he.

"This is getting annoying," she hissed under her breath.

"Slow down!" Xiaoyu shouted. They had ran outside of town and were currently running down a path. Without warning, he stopped. Xiaoyu didn't know this and toppled into him.

"Oof!" Xiaoyu said, landing on the ground.

"Here," he said, extending his hand.

Xiaoyu swatted it away and stood up herself. "You idiot! Look what you did to my clothes!" she complained, brushing herself.

"So, you were looking for a thief, huh?" he asked. "Well, that's me."

"Pretty brave of you to announce that. Why didn't you say so earlier?" Xiaoyu asked.

"Oh yes, how about I say I'm a thief in front of a busy town? Pretty smart, don't you think?"

"Good point," Xiaoyu mumbled. This man seemed to be extremely cocky. She found herself glaring at him.

He raised an eyebrow. "My name's Hwoarang, by the way," he said.

"I don't need your name, give back my money," Xiaoyu demanded.

"If it's so important, then here," Hwoarang said, tossing the pouch back to her. "How did someone like you get so much? Work as a prostitute? They earn a lot of money."

"A what?" Xiaoyu said.

Hwoarang frowned. "You are quite stupid, aren't you little baby face?"

"Little?" Xiaoyu repeated angrily.

"Sure your little disguise can fool your average person, but since I'm the renowned thief Hwoarang, you can't fool me," he said, smirking. "Why don't you take off your disguise?"

"Pervert!" Xiaoyu shouted.

"How old are you anyway?" Hwoarang asked.

"21," Xiaoyu lied. Hwoarang looked Xiaoyu up and down.

"I'm 21. You look 16," Hwoarang said.

"16? I'm 18!" Xiaoyu shouted.

"Why didn't you say so? Anyway, I'm going. I really shouldn't stay here to argue to a little girl," Hwoarang said, turning around and walking away. Xiaoyu quickly tied the pouch onto her ribbon and chased after Hwoarang.

"Hey! Wait up!" Xiaoyu shouted, jogging up to him. Hwoarang turned around and started walking backwards. His face had a very displeased look.

"Stop following me!" Hwoarang said.

"But, Hwoarang! I mean you could tell I was a girl, maybe you know a lot," Xiaoyu said, slowing down to a walk.

"Of course I do. Especially nowadays, because of a stupid little girl named Xiaoyu, the police have multiplied among the streets. Any amateur thief would be sent to prison, by now."

Xiaoyu frowned at the mention of 'stupid little girl named Xiaoyu'. "Who are you calling stupid?"

Hwoarang stopped and started walking towards Xiaoyu. When he raised his hand, she thought he was going to hit her and she quickly raised her hand to block him. Instead, he tugged her ribbon that tied her hair into a topknot. Her hair instantly fell down. Hwoarang smirked, pocketing the ribbon.

"Just as I thought, you're Xiaoyu," Hwoarang said. "So, that's why you're pretending to be a boy."

"Give back my ribbon. Or… or…" Xiaoyu struggled to think of a threat.

"Or you'll report me to the police? Or to the guards?" Hwoarang suggested. "I'm sorry, but since I know your secret, I'm afraid I could report you any time I want. But I could be quiet… on one condition…" he added, shoving an open palm in front of her face.

"What price?" Xiaoyu asked.

"Are you pretending to be stupid or are you born like this?" he asked, frowning.

"You want money, huh?" Xiaoyu asked.

"Yeah. But I can't guarantee I can hide your identity to Lei Wulong," Hwoarang said.

"The famous detective from Hong Kong?" Xiaoyu asked.

"Good, you actually know something. While we're on the subject, Lei Wulong has traveled almost as much as me. So, the police always look up to him."

"So, he knows a lot, huh?"

"Yeah. And will you pay up already?" Hwoarang ordered.

"Fine," Xiaoyu mumbled, fumbling with her pouch. She opened it up and she discovered she had more money then she had started out with. "What?"

"What's wrong?"

"When did I get all this Yuan?" she said.

"You didn't know? You had a couple extra kilos with you and didn't know?" Hwoarang asked, laughing.

"Maybe Jin gave this to me," Xiaoyu muttered.

Hwoarang stopped laughing. "Jin? Jin Kazama?" he asked, a scowl on his face.

"Yeah. What about him? He's nice," she said, confused on why Hwoarang was angry.

"For knowing him, you can travel with me for free. We could meet up with him," Hwoarang mumbled, clenching his fist. "But, you have to promise that you won't get in my way. You have to run fast and don't act stupid."

Xiaoyu attached her pouch back to where it was and extended her little finger. Hwoarang looked confused.

"What's that for? Some weird Chinese tradition?" Hwoarang asked.

"It's a Japanese tradition."

"You're not Japanese."

"Yeah, I know."

"Then, where'd you learn that?" Hwoarang asked.

"From Jin," Xiaoyu said, lowering her hand.

"You think only the Japanese came here? Don't you think other countries would come too?"

"Other countries?"

"You're hopeless. And for your information, I'm Korean," Hwoarang said, turning around and yet again walking away. "Hurry up, will you?"

"Korean?" Xiaoyu repeated, walking beside Hwoarang.

"Ask any more questions and I'll hit you. I don't care about the silly 'don't hit females' rule," Hwoarang said. He then turned to look at Xiaoyu, and he smiled. "And besides, you're dressed as a boy. I could hit you right now."

"You think you can, huh? I could easily beat you!" Xiaoyu said, smiling to herself.

Hwoarang just walked on ahead. Boy, it was going to be annoying to travel with a girl like her.

* * *

A/N: Don't worry; Hwoarang won't be paired up with Xiaoyu. Let's just say that their relationship is entirely friendly. But I'm not sure who I should pair Hwoarang with.

Anyway, I did some research on Tekken characters since I've only played Tekken 3 and 5. I haven't even finished Tekken 3 yet.

Oh yeah, and I don't know the currency they used in ancient China so I'm using the current currency they use.


	4. Docks

There was always this idea but I kept changing the ending, so anyway, here it is!

Thanks to **Tekkengeek01**, **Blossoming Spirit**, **xjmaster**, **minte, ****Thee Slushee,****sasukerocks, ****jc-1225 **and **kitty kibitzer **for the reviews!

**jc-1225**: Of course, it's not over! Here's the next chapter!

**kitty kibitzer**: Aw, shucks! Thanks! And that is a lot of please's.

Disclaimer: Don't own. Duh.

* * *

Chapter 4: Docks

"Can we stop now?" Xiaoyu complained, dragging her feet along. "We just passed another town…"

"Stop complaining, that town was dangerous. Half the population were police," Hwoarang said, somehow walking like they had only walked for 20 minutes. They had been traveling for a full day ever since they met, 2 towns ahead and now Xiaoyu was highly regretting joining up with this thief.

"How do you walk so fast anyway?" Xiaoyu asked.

"I'm a thief, I don't want to get caught," Hwoarang answered. "And besides, don't you want to find Jin?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Xiaoyu said, quickening her pace.

"Actually, maybe we should stop soon," Hwoarang said, suddenly stopping.

Xiaoyu walked right into him. "Do you have to say the opposite of what I say?" she asked, rubbing her head.

"No, I mean there's a good restaurant in the town ahead," Hwoarang said.

"Then let's get going!" Xiaoyu said happily, running ahead.

"Hey, wait up!" Hwoarang called, chasing after her.

When Hwoarang reached the town, he found Xiaoyu already happily eating away in the restaurant.

"That was fast…" Hwoarang asked, sitting next to her.

"I know!" Xiaoyu said, slurping up her noodles.

"Hwoarang!" someone shouted. They both turned around to see a girl with brown shoulder length hair racing towards their table.

"Hi, Asuka," Hwoarang said.

"So, who's this?" Asuka asked, sitting down.

"Xiao-" Xiaoyu started, but Hwoarang kicked her. Xiaoyu glared at Hwoarang. "Err… Xing."

"…Okay," Asuka said. "So, he's a new apprentice?"

"Since when do I accept apprentices?" Hwoarang asked.

Xiaoyu finished her noodles. "Thanks. So, how much is that?"

"On the house," Asuka said. "You know Hwoarang, that's why," Asuka added when Xiaoyu gave her a confused look.

"See. Isn't it nice to know me?" Hwoarang asked Xiaoyu.

"Hi!" a girl said as she sat down. Xiaoyu noticed her red shoulder length hair.

"You related to him?" Xiaoyu asked, pointing at Hwoarang.

The girl laughed. "No, name's Miharu!"

"Hello," Xiaoyu said. "Call me Xing."

"So, traveling with Hwoarang, huh? Make sure you walk fast. One minute, you're walking behind and the next, poof, he's gone," Miharu said.

"Yeah, I noticed," Xiaoyu said, laughing.

Miharu raised an eyebrow. "Your laugh is really high pitched for a boy."

Xiaoyu immediately stopped and nervously looked at the floor.

"Err… Well… there doesn't seem to be any police," Hwoarang quickly said to change the subject.

"You of all people should know what a bad reputation this place has got," Asuka said.

"So, wouldn't it make sense to put more recruits in here?" Xiaoyu said.

"Nope. These police are petrified of this place," Miharu said.

"What's so bad about this place?" Xiaoyu asked.

"People like thieves (Miharu coughed and pointed at Hwoarang) treat this town like a meeting joint," Asuka said.

"It's mainly because of Anna and this restaurant," Hwoarang said.

"Who's Anna?" Xiaoyu said.

"Anna Williams. She's the renowned madam opposite us," Asuka continued.

"And everyone loves this café because of these two," Hwoarang said.

"It's not like we wear revealing uniforms or anything, we wear what we usually wear," Miharu said.

"Who said it was the uniforms?" Hwoarang said.

"Maybe it's the food," Xiaoyu said.

Hwoarang snorted with laughter. "Xiaoyu, these people are perverts, who thinks they're here for the food?"

"Xiaoyu? Ain't that a girl's name?" Asuka said.

Xiaoyu angrily kicked Hwoarang under the table.

"Ow! I mean, Xing," Hwoarang said. "You must be hearing things, Asuka."

"I'm not hearing things! You heard it too, didn't you, Miharu?" Asuka said.

Miharu nodded.

Hwoarang coughed uncomfortably and stood up. He seized Xiaoyu's arm and dragged her upstairs.

"Why did you have to say my name?" Xiaoyu asked angrily, once Hwoarang let go.

"I dunno. And anyway, who said you had to be a boy here? There's no police here, anyway," Hwoarang said.

"I can't be too sure though…" Xiaoyu said.

"Just get in there!" Hwoarang said irritably, shoving Xiaoyu into an empty room.

Several minutes passed and Xiaoyu finally came out in her original outfit. She was remarkably happier without having to stop herself breathing. She slung her bag back on her shoulder and fiddled with her pigtails.

Hwoarang opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a loud angry voice.

"Hwoarang!" Asuka shouted. They turned round to see a very infuriated looking Asuka glaring at them.

"Asuka?" Xiaoyu said.

Asuka ignored her and grabbed Hwoarang's arm. "How dare you flirt with someone else!" Asuka shouted.

Hwoarang blinked. "What?"

"Asuka. It's me, Xing!" Xiaoyu said, quickly adjusting her hair into a topknot.

Asuka turned around and stared at Xiaoyu for a few minutes before realizing what she meant. "You have breasts?" Asuka said slowly.

Hwoarang burst out laughing and Xiaoyu raised her eyebrow.

"Nice to meet 'cha, Xiaoyu!" Miharu said, extending her arm to her. After Asuka's awkward statement, Miharu was introduced yet again to Xiaoyu. They were all currently upstairs in Asuka's room; the girls sitting round the table and Hwoarang, preferring not to join in their 'girl time' as he called it, lying on Asuka's bed.

"How come you have to go around saying you're a man?" Asuka asked, passing some rice balls to Xiaoyu.

"She's afraid of the cops," Hwoarang said, speaking towards the ceiling.

"Hwoarang doesn't go round saying he's a girl…" Asuka said hesitantly. Hwoarang sniggered.

"Well, I thought it was a good idea," Xiaoyu said quietly.

"Besides Xiaoyu you look better right now," Hwoarang said. Xiaoyu noticed Asuka was somewhat irritated by this comment.

"These clothes look a bit big for you though," Miharu said, prodding the pile of clothes lying on the table.

"They're Jin's," Xiaoyu said.

"His?" Hwoarang said gruffly.

"Jin Kazama?" Miharu asked.

"Well, I'm not sure about his surname but he was called Jin," Xiaoyu said.

"I can't believe you actually know Jin Kazama!" Asuka said excitedly.

"Why? What's so special about him?" Xiaoyu asked.

"He's the prince of Japan," Miharu said.

"What?" Xiaoyu shouted shocked, jumping up from her seat.

"Didn't you know?" Asuka asked.

"No…" Xiaoyu said, slowly sitting back down.

"Doesn't make him that special…" Hwoarang said.

Xiaoyu turned her head to face Hwoarang. "You really seem to hate Jin."

Miharu wrapped her arm around Xiaoyu's neck. "He's jealous of him…" Miharu whispered quietly. As soon as Miharu let go, Xiaoyu massaged her neck.

"So, I've been traveling with a prince?" Xiaoyu said.

"That pretty much sums it up," Asuka said.

"I think we should say we've kidnapped Asuka and get a huge ransom," Miharu joked. Asuka kicked Miharu.

"So, why's that?" Xiaoyu asked.

"Asuka Kazama. Jin Kazama. They're probably related or something," Miharu said managing to shrug and rub her knee at the same time.

"Just because we have the same surname doesn't mean we are related!" Asuka said angrily.

"But why wouldn't you want to be? I mean, you could be a princess and wouldn't have to live in a rundown restaurant slash inn," Miharu said happily.

"But then you have to wonder why Jin would run away from luxury, ne?" Asuka said.

"Probably just an argument, ne?" Miharu said.

"What does 'ne' mean?" Xiaoyu asked.

"Baka," Miharu said.

"What does 'baka' mean?" Xiaoyu said.

"Yeah, I'm wondering that. You sometimes call me that," Hwoarang said.

Miharu and Asuka laughed.

"Ask a Japanese person," Miharu said.

"You're not Japanese?" Xiaoyu asked Hwoarang.

"No. I'm Korean," Hwoarang simply answered.

"Ko-re-an?" Xiaoyu repeated. "Where is that?"

"Somewhere round Japan and it's Korea," Hwoarang said, using his finger to do circular movements.

"Let's talk about something more interesting, like the Kazama siblings-" Miharu said.

"I don't have a brother!" Asuka interrupted.

"But how can you be sure?" Miharu asked.

"…Err," Asuka said.

"How did you meet anyway?" Xiaoyu asked.

"It's a long story," Miharu said.

"I'm not going anywhere," Xiaoyu said.

"Well, we didn't always live in this town. As you know, this isn't the best place to grow up after all. You'd probably be fed up on drugs since you were born. We lived in a quaint little village. Well, I did anyway. I've lived in China since I can remember. But I'm sure I was born in Japan. I remember I was about 5 when I saw the ship that sailed Hwoarang to my hometown. He didn't have his parents with him and I instantly knew he'd be the rebellious boy that stands behind you now, Xiaoyu. By the way, can I call you Xiao?" Miharu said. "Xiaoyu doesn't exactly roll off the tongue."

"Miharu, it's one more syllable. How about I call you Mi?" Asuka said.

"How about I call you Azzy?" Miharu asked.

"That doesn't sound right," Asuka said.

"You can call me Xiao," Xiaoyu said, interrupting them.

"Okay. I better continue with my story. Ahem… Hwoarang arrived on the docks and we greeted him. But knowing him, he ignored us. He didn't have a home so he had to live in the local orphanage. He was usually missing from there, though. The only times you would find him there would be early in the morning or late in the night. Obviously, he'd be sleeping then. And I was at the docks one day and I saw Hwoarang just a distance from me. He was looking out at the sea and so I walked over to him. I looked where he was looking and then there was this small ship drifting towards us. When the ship stopped, this girl hopped off. She wasn't with anyone, either. And that's the story of the group of friends named Miharu, Asuka and Hwoarang," Miharu said.

"Wow! Your village sure seems to attract lots of orphans…" Xiaoyu said.

"I know," Miharu happily said.

"… Speaking of docks, there's this rich woman going somewhere," Asuka said.

"Rich woman?" Hwoarang repeated, gathering interest.

"How you do all this?" Xiaoyu asked.

"When you run a restaurant, a lot of people come and go and you can hear lots of things. That's why Hwoarang thought of the idea of running an inn," Miharu said.

"Well, it's getting dark. I think I should go greet this woman," Hwoarang said, walking to the door and exiting.

"Wait! I'll come with you!" Xiaoyu said, rushing after him.

As the door shut with a light slam, there was a silence.

Miharu sipped some tea. "Hmm… we should stay behind, right?"

Asuka and Miharu looked at each other. They suddenly grinned.

"Nah!" They both chorused.

They sprang up and followed the two, making sure to kick all their customers out before they closed their restaurant for the night.

"…I shouldn't have come," Xiaoyu complained, shifting a bit more.

"Shh! You'd make a crappy thief," Hwoarang whispered, his eyes fixed on the harbor.

They were both hiding round the corner of the warehouse, gaining a perfect view of the currently deserted harbor. Hwoarang somehow managed to stand perfectly still while Xiaoyu didn't really to manage to complete the same task. She sat, cross-legged, occasionally humming to herself.

"…Why can't she hurry up? It's getting dark," Xiaoyu whined, picking a few blades of grass from the odd patch growing round them.

"That's what I need," Hwoarang said, turning around for the first time in what seemed like hours. "Look, why did you follow me anyway?"

"I thought that Jin might know this woman," Xiaoyu said.

"Just because she's rich and he is too, doesn't mean he knows this person," Hwoarang said, turning back around.

"You'll never know," Xiaoyu said.

"You two jabber too much…" someone said. Both turned round to the direction of the voice. Asuka waved and Miharu grinned.

"What are you two doing here?" Hwoarang asked in an annoyed tone. "And how the hell did you get past us?"

"Well, we didn't want to be left out of all the fun," Asuka said.

"And besides, we won't let down a fellow female!" Miharu said.

"And besides, we just climbed up the warehouse and dropped down here!" Asuka said, mimicking Miharu.

"You two are like twins," Hwoarang said irritably.

"You actually clim-" Xiaoyu started but Asuka quickly clamped her hand over her mouth.

"Shh! I think I hear something…" she whispered. Hwoarang nodded and looked back.

The posse stood and sat in silence. Maybe it was more like the male stood and the females sat in silence. They anticipated someone would come soon as Asuka explained she had heard some faint chatter. A boat approached the harbor, but luckily, the group was shielded from view by the large warehouse.

Slowly, a couple of figures emerged into view. Hwoarang happily grinned. He had itched for a big haul since a few months ago. The girls quickly poked their heads to see what had made Hwoarang so excited.

"So, are you sure about this?" a male voice asked.

"I know… that voice…" Xiaoyu whispered as quietly as possible.

"Yes, I'm positive," a female voice answered.

"Why do this, Julia?" he asked.

"I want to help you," the female, apparently named Julia, replied.

The two walked towards the harbor. Xiaoyu quickly recognized that face.

"Jin!" Xiaoyu whispered.

"That's Jin?" Miharu asked. Xiaoyu nodded.

"Who's that girl?" Asuka asked.

"Quiet or they-" Hwoarang hissed but was interrupted.

"HEY, JIN! OVER HERE!" Miharu bellowed, waving her arms and walking out of her hiding place.

The two looked over and Hwoarang slapped his forehead. Julia panicked and tried to step into the boat but Jin held her back.

"Wait, let me see who it is," Jin said.

Jin came over as Julia followed him. Miharu kept on waving like some crazed maniac while Hwoarang shook his head and muttered something like 'stupid hyper girls'. Jin quickly reached his destination, but it wasn't Xiaoyu who he noticed first… it was Asuka.

"Asuka?" Jin said in disbelief.

Asuka looked round. "I assume you're talking to me?" she said, pointing to herself.

Jin smiled and wrapped his arms around Asuka. "Of course I am!"

Asuka's reaction was typical.

"Pervert!" Asuka shouted, sending a huge kick to Jin's stomach. He was knocked back a few feet, eventually landing into the still water.

"JIN!" Xiaoyu shrieked. She instantly rushed over and crouched down to stare at the ripples of the water. Jin broke the surface and gasped for sir.

"Way to go, Asuka!" Hwoarang cheered happily, clapping. Asuka bushed.

"I think he was lucky he didn't drown," Miharu said, still shocked at her partner-in-crime's immense strength.

Xiaoyu extended her arm, which Jin quickly caught. Jin was pulled back to shore, albeit with a little difficulty. Everyone promptly gathered round him, except Hwoarang who glumly stayed in his spot.

"How are you doing Jin?" Julia asked.

Xiaoyu finally spotted Jin's companion, her hood shielded most of her face however.

"Excuse me, who are you?" Xiaoyu asked.

Julia ignored her and carried on comforting Jin. Xiaoyu was somewhat annoyed.

"How did you know about me anyway?" Asuka said.

Jin smiled again. He sure was friendly to a girl that almost killed him. "You're my sister," Jin said.

"You're joking, right?" Asuka said, nervously adding a laugh.

Miharu playfully punched her arm. "See! I told you!"

"That's not important, what is… is who is she?" Xiaoyu said, pointing at Julia.

"This is Julia. Julia, this is Xiaoyu," Jin said, pointing to each respectively.

"How come you were trying to get on the boat?" Miharu asked.

"I can't tell you that…" Julia answered, turning her head.

"Aww, come on! Just a teensy little hint?" Miharu asked, clapping her hands together.

"No!" Julia answered more sternly this time. She got up and walked to the boat.

"Julia…" Jin said.

"What is her problem?" Xiaoyu asked. "How about you tell us, Jin?"

"I'm afraid, I can't do that," Jin said. "I have to respect her wishes. If she wants to tell you, she will."

And with that, they watched the retreating form of the boat and its passenger, Julia.

* * *

A/N: A whole month! Sorry about that! Well, here's an extra long chapter to make up for the delay. Most of it is speech, though… Actually, I had a bit of trouble visualizing Asuka and Miharu's personalities; do you think they're okay? 


	5. Suspect

Disclaimer: Don't own.

Thanks to **jc-1225**, **xjmaster**, **kitty kibitzer**, **Thee Slushee**, **Coneko** and **henred5** for the reviews!

* * *

Chapter 5: Suspect

"So, is this it?" Xiaoyu asked, looking from her sheet of paper and the building in front of her.

"Yep, seriously," Asuka said.

"We really didn't need to write the address… it's just opposite us. Now, stop checking, we've lived here almost all our life, we know where everything is," Miharu added impatiently.

Xiaoyu looked up again from the jumble of messily scrawled note (by Miharu after she was rudely thrown from her bed by an anxious Xiaoyu) as Miharu swung open the doors.

"Are you coming in or what?"

Xiaoyu, Miharu and Xiaoyu had only just met, but they already clicked together. Last night, at some point in their conservation, Asuka had brought up why Xiaoyu was traveling. Xiaoyu thought it was best to extend further and Miharu said that Anna had a sister named Nina.

"_So, what about this Nina woman?" Xiaoyu asked, looking at Miharu._

"_Nina Williams is the infamous assassin sister of Anna Williams," Asuka answered. _

"_Assassin?" Xiaoyu repeated. Could she be the real assassin?_

"_Yep, this could be your suspect!" Miharu said._

Xiaoyu looked back at Jin. He seemed uncomfortable and was looking at the floor. He suddenly noticed someone staring at him and looked up, startled. Knowing it was Xiaoyu, he gave an encouraging smile and she smiled back. He looked back down again. Jin had been unusually quiet, quieter than usual, since meeting with Xiaoyu again. Xiaoyu understood why he was so squeamish near this place; after all this was a brothel they were standing outside of.

"You can go back to restaurant, if you want to," Xiaoyu said.

Jin looked up and nodded. He started walking back until Hwoarang snorted.

"If he's a coward, he's going back, I'm going in," Hwoarang said.

Xiaoyu scowled at him. "Don't be so insensitive!" Xiaoyu said angrily. She turned to Jin. "Take no notice of him!"

Jin remained silent.

"Hurry up!" Miharu shouted, already inside. "I wanna get this over with!"

"Right!" Xiaoyu shouted back. She looked back at Jin who gave her a smile.

"Can we go in now?" Hwoarang asked, frowning.

"Why don't you go on ahead?"

"No," Hwoarang simply answered.

"Fine!" Xiaoyu said, giving up. "I'll see you back at the-"

"I'm coming with you," Jin said quickly.

Xiaoyu turned to look at him. "Are you positive?"

Jin nodded without hesitation.

Hwoarang tugged on Xiaoyu's sleeve. "Even Asuka's gone on ahead, we'd better go."

Xiaoyu nodded and Jin followed as they proceeded to enter the building. Xiaoyu looked around, all of a sudden, girls swarming towards them blocked her view. It was just her luck to have entered a brothel with 2 men by her side. She looked back to see Hwoarang impatiently shooing the girls away while Jin trying to talk with them. Xiaoyu did her best to squeeze out of the huddle – and succeeded to her surprise.

"I'm going on ahead!" Xiaoyu called over the giggles of the girls.

"I – told – you – I'm – coming with you!" Hwoarang shouted as he starting to push the girls away.

Xiaoyu began to run ahead but instead looked back again. Feeling it was better, she ran back and held out her hand. When she felt a strong grip on her hand, she tugged and Jin came out.

"Thank you," Jin gasped.

"I know Hwoarang can handle this," Xiaoyu said. "Let's go before they notice you're gone."

Jin ran off ahead and Xiaoyu took one last look before chasing after Jin.

"Do you think it was best?" Xiaoyu asked, as they walked up the stairs.

"Yes, it was," Jin said gruffly.

"I was just asking," Xiaoyu said. "What is wrong with you too? It's like you're sworn enemies."

"It wasn't my fault. He hated me."

"But why?"

"I have no idea."

Xiaoyu had originally given no thought to why Hwoarang hated Jin before. She was so lost in thought that she didn't realize she was in front of Anna's room until she heard voices. Jin opened the door to reveal Asuka and Miharu talking with Anna. Anna quickly averted her gaze to Jin.

"Well…" Anna said, smirking. "Who do we have here?"

"He's the prince of Japan," someone said.

Xiaoyu looked in the direction to see a blond woman, sitting in the corner of the room. She seemed to be polishing something.

"Who are you?" Xiaoyu asked.

"Nina. Nina Williams," she answered, not looking up.

"You're Nina?" Xiaoyu asked. She took a step forward. "Look, the police are-"

"It's not me," Nina interrupted.

"What?"

"It's not me," Nina repeated.

"Don't you get it, little girl?" Anna asked.

"What do you mean?" Xiaoyu asked, confused.

"Xiaoyu…" Asuka said, speaking for the first time since they arrived. "It's not Nina."

"What?"

"Nina is an assassin, but she's not the assassin that attempted to kill Heihachi," Asuka explained.

"How do you know this?" Xiaoyu asked.

"We came here earlier then you three," Miharu said.

Asuka stared at them. "Where's Hwoarang?"

"He's downstairs, getting mobbed by girls," Xiaoyu said, pointing downstairs.

"Hwoarang's downstairs?" Asuka repeated. She quickly ran out the door.

"She better run," Anna said.

"Are you sure you're not the assassin?" Xiaoyu asked.

"Look, kid, what do I have to do?" Nina said, standing up.

Xiaoyu thought for a moment, but Jin answered before her. "Heihachi claims that the assassin was cut on her arm."

Nina silently rolled down her sleeve. No cuts.

"So… it's not you?" Xiaoyu asked in disbelief.

"You have a thick skull, don't you?" Nina asked, getting irritated.

"You're Ling Xiaoyu, aren't you?" Anna asked.

"Yeah, why?" Xiaoyu asked, looking at her.

"The 'assassin' that fetches a hefty reward if caught?" Anna asked, standing up from her bed.

"Xiao!" Miharu shouted.

Nina quickly pointed her gun at Anna. "Go, kid!"

"What?" Xiaoyu said, staring at her.

"What are you doing?" Anna asked, not daring to move.

"Killing you, 'dear' sister," Nina said.

"I thought-"

"I wasn't on your side. A madam? I don't want a dirty madam like you in my family," Nina said.

"You bitch!" Anna screamed.

"Go, now!" Nina commanded.

Xiaoyu hesitated. "Thank you," Xiaoyu said, beginning to run downstairs.

Miharu and Jin followed her. As they all ran downstairs, they saw the girls that once harassed Hwoarang gone and they continued outside.

"Where are Hwoarang and Asuka?" Xiaoyu asked, running across the room.

"I dunno, they might be outside," Miharu said.

Suddenly, the girls swarmed in and blocked the entrance causing the three to skid to a halt.

"You think you're going that easily?" one of them asked.

"Why, yes," Miharu said.

"Cocky, aren't you?" she said before clutching her fan.

The woman hurled the fan directly at Miharu's head, which she quickly blocked by raising her arm. Miharu charged forward and the other did the same. Miharu kicked as she ran, colliding with the woman's stomach. She quickly slapped Miharu but Miharu punched her.

"Miharu!" Xiaoyu shouted. She rushed towards Miharu and the other girls stepped forward.

Xiaoyu kicked and somersaulted to land on her feet. She sharply turned back round and couched down into her Phoenix stance. Her hands stretched back and slowly approached them. As Xiaoyu swept her leg round, she caught a glimpse of Jin helping her fight them. She smiled at him and he smiled back.

"Xiaoyu, Miharu!" Asuka called, banging open the doors.

Xiaoyu flipped upwards causing her legs to kick the woman in front of her. She landed on her feet and turned around. Asuka gestured to come outside and Xiaoyu took the moment of shock as an advantage and raced towards the exit. Jin and Miharu both came out just as Xiaoyu had passed Asuka. One of the women quickly ran forward, but Asuka spun round and landed a heavy kick.

"Let's go!" Asuka yelled.

Everyone else took this signal and ran. Xiaoyu looked back to see Nina in the upper window, looking down into the streets. She smiled briefly before turning back and catching up with the rest. Asuka soon followed them. They quickly escaped to the harbor where they once were just last night.

"What's going to happen now?" Xiaoyu asked as she looked out at the village.

Miharu shrugged her shoulders. "Dunno. But it's safe to say, we should get out of here."

"Why?" Xiaoyu asked.

"Well, besides the brothel out to kill us, I'd say we're pretty safe," Miharu said.

"But those girls were really weak. I don't think they're even trained to fight," Asuka said.

"You're just using this as an excuse to get out of this town, aren't you?" Hwoarang asked.

"What makes you think that?" Miharu asked, pretending to be innocent.

"Well, actually… it is a pretty wise move, even for Miharu…" Asuka said.

"Hey!" Miharu protested.

"Why's that?" Xiaoyu asked.

"Well… You see, with Jin on the run, we can't say he'll be safe stuck in one place so it's best to keep moving even if that was the safest place to hide from the police," Asuka explained.

"Are you the smart one of the group?" Jin asked.

"Yeah, you could say that," Asuka said, smiling.

"Siding with your bro, eh?" Miharu asked.

"He is not my brother!" Asuka retorted.

"Chances are, he is," Miharu said.

"H-"

"Stop bickering!" Xiaoyu shouted, getting in between them. She relaxed when they stopped. "Look, we need to gather up supplies and things if we're going to follow Asuka's method!"

"I'll go," Hwoarang said.

"Thanks so much, Hwoarang!" Xiaoyu said happily.

Hwoarang quickly departed, back towards the village. As soon as Hwoarang had left, Miharu looked at Xiaoyu.

"You pretended to be all sweet and innocent just to get someone else to go, didn't you?" Miharu asked, grinning.

Xiaoyu stuck her tongue out playfully. "Guilty."

"I've got to use that method, next time…" Miharu said. Miharu clicked her fingers as she remembered something. "At least, Asuka, you don't have to bribe Hwoarang to fix the door again."

"What door?" Asuka said, confused.

"…I kinda… broke your door…" Miharu said slowly.

She braced herself for an onslaught of words, but surprisingly, they never came.

"What?" Asuka said.

"Your room door," Miharu answered.

Asuka rolled her eyes. "At this time, why should I be worrying about how I should get Hwoarang to fix a stupid door?"

"Guess you're right…"

After a short while, Hwoarang soon returned with a large bag. He quickly flung the bag at Xiaoyu's feet.

"Here's your supplies," Hwoarang said.

"You got everything? And in that short time?" Miharu asked.

"Yep," Hwoarang said. He was tossing a pouch up and down.

"And stole that purse too?" Miharu added.

"Yep," Hwoarang repeated, stashing it into his pocket. "So, when do we leave?"

Xiaoyu looked into the sky. "We should get going as soon as possible, it's getting dark."

"Alright!" Miharu cheered, punching the air with her fist.

* * *

A/N: The door thing was actually in the first draft and I felt I needed to include it, I dunno why XD. Had to end the chapter somehow... 


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